Closures of rural long-term care homes devastating communities: NDP

Ontario NDP critic for Home and Long-Term Care Teresa Armstrong will attend a town hall meeting in Stratford this Saturday, Sept. 30, to address the pending closure of Hillside Manor in Perth East and its devastating impact on the local community. The closure of the long-term care facility will redistribute up to 50 of the facility’s 90 long-term beds to another care home in London while the residual beds will be re-distributed within the vast Southwest Local Health Integrated Network.

“The closure of Hillside Manor will force long-term care residents out of their communities and families to travel significant distances just to spend time with their loved ones,” said Armstrong. “Smaller homes in rural communities need more resources than larger facilities. There needs to be a consistency of quality in care homes in every community in Ontario so homes like Hillside Manor can remain open and so our seniors aren’t being displaced from their communities.”

Pressure has been mounting from the local community for the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care to re-evaluate its funding formula so that long-term care homes like Hillside Manor can remain open. New Democrats recently passed a motion calling on the Liberal government to find and fix systemic issues in the long-term care system. Armstrong warns that facilities across the province will face a similar fate to Hillside Manor’s if the Ministry doesn’t address issues with funding levels for care homes in rural areas.

“There are over 30,000 names on the waiting list for long-term care beds in Ontario and that number is growing,” said Armstrong. “Shutting smaller facilities is not the solution. The government needs to increase funding levels so residents aren’t being forced to move out of their communities and front line workers aren’t being left without a job.”

“When will this government acknowledge the crisis in the long-term care system in Ontario and re-evaluate its funding formula so homes like Hillside Manor can stay open?” asked Armstrong.